Social Justice

Department of Educational Psychology & Counseling Diversity Committee

Mission

The Diversity Committee is a collaborative effort to assist faculty across disciplines within the Department of Educational Psychology and Counseling to enhance their personal and professional growth and knowledge as a means to meet the needs of CSUN’s diverse student population and the communities we serve.

Social Justice

In response to the current political climate and its possible impact on our students and faculty, the EPC Department faculty and staff have made it our mission to find and share a variety of social justice resources that support equality and ethical practices for all human beings. These resources are listed here so you can review them and then decide as an individual if any are suitable for you and your situation. We strive to select resources that support the following principles that our students, faculty, and staff embrace:

In the spirit of collaboration and compassion, we

respect the dignity and essential worth of all individuals;

respect the privacy, property, and freedom of others;

promote a culture of respect throughout the college, university, and community;

reject bigotry, discrimination, violence, or intimidation of any kind; and

support the diversity of opinions, ideas, and backgrounds within the programs and in the communities we serve.

Advocacy: Getting Started

There are essentially three aspects to making a difference: awareness, advocacy, and action.

Awareness: Learn what you can; as the saying goes “knowledge is power.” Pick an issue that is important to you and learn everything you can about it. Get your information from reliable and accurate news sources, podcasts, and talks. Use a fact checker to double check any dubious information.

Advocacy: Be ready to speak out and to support others with encouragement, collaboration, resources, funding, and assistance. Consider the following action options for your advocacy plan and then add your own ideas:

spreading the word about your issue of interest,

signing petitions for your cause,

donating to organizations that support your cause,

attending or helping set up and advertise events promoting your cause, and

boycotting stores and services that work against your cause.

Action: Do something, small or large, once or ongoing. Move forward with your advocacy plan and get involved. "Yes, we can." Take action now and make a difference! The following are three easy ways to get started:

Join an organization that advocates for your issue of interest.

Teach and model compassion, tolerance, and advocacy at work and in your personal life.

Make quick phone calls to those with legislative power—your state and US Representatives—sharing your name, constituency, and concerns about an issue.

Joining and Supporting Organizations

American Federation of Teachers (AFT): champions fairness; democracy; economic opportunity; and high-quality public education, healthcare and public services for our students, their families and our communities.

Influencing Others

Overcoming Others' Resistance to Change

You can be more effective in your advocacy when you know how to help others better understand and support your causes. For some people, it’s simply a matter of sharing information with them about the importance of the cause. For others who have very different perspectives and opinions, you need to help them see that change is in their best interest. The following is a process that can be helpful in overcoming peoples’ resistance to change:

1. Identify their points of view and acknowledge them. In an open and sincere way, ask and learn about their perspective and their concerns, fears, and assumptions about changing their beliefs about the cause. This helps in three ways: it shows them that you value and respect their opinions as valid; it helps them feel a part of a conversation; and it gives you information on how to respond to their concerns.

2. Address their concerns and interests. Let them know that you understand their concerns by clearly identifying them. Next, share the differences in both perspectives and how your perspective can work and address their concerns. Describe how a new way of doing things will benefit them and address their interests.

3. Give them time. People go through change at different paces. Let them reflect on what has been shared. Answer any follow-up questions or concerns. Give them time to form and justify a new perspective in their minds. Be open and supportive when they begin to recognize the change as their own and to advocate for what they had previously opposed.